The founder of Zionism, Theodor Herzl, best expressed the importance of flags in a letter he sent to wealthy Jewish philanthropist Maurice Hirsch: "A flag, what is that? A stick with a rag on it? No, sir, a flag is more than that. With a flag one can lead men wherever one wants to, even into the Promised Land. For a flag men will live and die." This sentiment resounds today in a new Education Ministry initiative. On April 19, schools throughout Israel will wave flags of Israel at precisely the same time as part of a special ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. Exactly 70 years prior, those who survived the uprising waved flags to symbolize their victory. Education Ministry Director-General Dalit Stauber sent a letter to local municipalities and school principals explaining the significance of the effort. "We are currently at the threshold of important days for the Jewish people in the State of Israel; days that express our common story: from the Holocaust to renewal, remembrance days and Independence Day." "This year will mark 70 years since the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, an event that magnifies the connection between the Holocaust and the renewal of the nation in their land and country. The Warsaw Ghetto uprising represents courage, unity of destiny and the leadership inherent in the Jewish people from our outset. On Friday, 9 Iyyar 5773, April 19, 2013, at 10 a.m., at the precise time when flags were waved in the Warsaw Ghetto, schools across the country will hold their respective flag-waving ceremonies in efforts to symbolize the connection between the past, present and future. "At a time when Israeli society faces social, educational, security and ethical challenges, the values manifested in the Warsaw Ghetto uprising can serve as a model for our society today," Stauber concluded.
